Hi all, sorry for not getting this out sooner. To follow up on Phil Kelley's report: No rarities were seen on the estuary section of the weekly Wednesday bird walk at Nisqually Refuge, but we were treated to the view of a raccoon and a coyote foraging along the west bank of McAllister Creek.

I heard that several folks drove south up the Nisqually cut-off road about 2 miles to Hartman Road to get good views of the Lazuli Buntings and Lesser Goldfinches that have been seen there. This is a county-maintained gravel lane, but dead-ends in private yards, so please bird the area with courtesy and respect to the local residents; stay on the main road, etc.

Best,
Jon. Anderson
OlyWA

----- Original Message -----

From: ebird-checklist at cornell.edu
Sent: Thursday, June 1, 2017 3:53:29 PM
Subject: eBird Report - Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, May 31, 2017

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR, Thurston, Washington, US
May 31, 2017 7:56 AM - 3:42 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Comments: Weekly Wednesday walk, from visitors' center to the orchard, then north on the east side of the Twin Barns Trail to the barns, thence west along the dike to the estuary boardwalk and out to the overlook, and returning along the west side of the "twin barns" boardwalk trail. The estuary walk was during the high ebbing tide; the high 10.31-foot tide was at 10:18 a.m. Temperatures were 52-71? F, and it was mostly cloudy with some sun breaks, with 3-8 knot winds from the north, northwest. Mammals seen included numerous eastern cottontail, eastern Gray squirrel, Townsend's Chipmunk, a beaver at the Visitors? Center pond, and a raccoon & a coyote foraging within 20 yards of each other along the west bank of McAllister Creek.
61 species (+6 other taxa)

Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima) (Branta canadensis moffitti/maxima) 24
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 1 Female
American Wigeon (Anas americana) 1 Drake
Mallard (Northern) (Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos/conboschas) 115
Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera) 1 Drake
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 4
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 12 Three young seen with 2 adults in Nisqually River
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) 55
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 38
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1 Eating a fish in estuary
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 15
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola) 3
Sora (Porzana carolina) 1 Vocalized
American Coot (Fulica americana) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 80
California Gull (Larus californicus) 26
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) 8
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) (Larus occidentalis x glaucescens) 1
Western/Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus occidentalis/glaucescens) 25
gull sp. (Larinae sp.) 40
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 30
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) 2
Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata) 1
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) 2 Two young seen on east side of Twin Barns Loop, near spur trail to Riparian overlook
Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) 9
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) 1 Female at McAllister Creek
Downy Woodpecker (Pacific) (Picoides pubescens gairdnerii/turati) 1
Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) 1
Downy/Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens/villosus) 1 Drumming
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [cafer Group]) 1
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) 1 At least one, West of McAllister Creek, vocalizing
Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) 9
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) 6
Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Empidonax difficilis) 1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 1
Steller's Jay (Coastal) (Cyanocitta stelleri [stelleri Group]) 1 West of McAllister Creek
American/Northwestern Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos/caurinus) 7
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 2
Purple Martin (Progne subis) 10 Two at snag in surge plain, others at nest boxes at Luhr Beach
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 60
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) 4
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 36
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) 25
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 3
Bushtit (Pacific) (Psaltriparus minimus [minimus Group]) 5
Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) 1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 8
Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) 2
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 28
Swainson's Thrush (Russet-backed) (Catharus ustulatus [ustulatus Group]) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 14
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 40
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 18
Orange-crowned Warbler (lutescens) (Oreothlypis celata lutescens) 1
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 26
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 34
Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) 7
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 7
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 28
Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) 2
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) 8
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 35
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 16
Bullock's Oriole (Icterus bullockii) 0 Vocalization heard by Whittier J. Nest in cottonwood tree in east parking lot
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 32 Male & female seen passing food back-and-forth

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37295291

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (/content/nw)